China’s airlines are expected to carry 31.19mn passengers from September 25 to October 7, up 3.6% on last year, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.
International demand is growing fastest. Holiday bookings for international flights are up 22.5% year-on-year, with services to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia up 20% and long-haul flights to Germany, the UK and Spain up 15%. Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bali are the top outbound choices, and destinations from Brazil to Saudi Arabia have moved to court Chinese travellers. Thailand launched its Nihao Month 2026 campaign on September 14, and Seoul is running a welcome week for visitors until October 11.
The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday on September 25-27 and the National Day holiday on October 1-7 give workers 10 days off this year, against eight last year. CAAC deputy head Ma Bing said traffic would average 2.4mn passengers a day, with peaks above 2.6mn.
Beijing Capital International Airport expects more than 1.66mn passenger trips and 9,448 flights over the period, with traffic peaking above 245,000 passengers a day on October 1 and October 7. Beijing Daxing International Airport expects 1.79mn passenger trips and 11,040 flights, with about 180,000 passengers and 1,150 flights on October 1.
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing and Guiyang are the most popular domestic destinations, while traffic to Dehong in Yunnan, Altay in Xinjiang and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia is up by more than 30%. Average daily bookings at China’s 10 largest aviation hubs exceed 490,000, up 3.9% year-on-year.
CAAC said China’s civil aviation sector handled 19.138mn passenger trips during last year’s combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.